Frequently Asked Questions
Expand each question to learn more about Kingsway Charities.
Who is eligible to order and carry medicines into foreign countries from Kingsway?
- Any U.S. licensed medical physician with the ability to write prescriptions.
- Any Ministry/Organization that is approved by Kingsway Charities. In order to be approved, you must have a U.S. licensed medical physician with the ability to write prescriptions. The physician will be required to give us a copy of the U.S. license and accept responsibility for the medicines and medical supplies.
- The U.S. licensed medical physician associated with the trip must verify that all medications and medical supplies ordered from Kingsway Charities will only be used in the “Country of Mission” stated on the Mission Trip Registration form.
- All medications and medical supplies received from Kingsway Charities can only be used in developing/underdeveloped countries. Kingsway Charities does not distribute for use in the United States.
Is the advising physician required to accompany the medicines and supplies on the trip?
No, the advising physician doesn’t have to go on the trip but he/she must sign off on the trip.
Where do the supplies come from?
Kingsway Charities depends on donations from many sources. This results in varied inventory, from a single item to thousands of items. We have become specialists in dealing with short dated medicines that would otherwise be unavailable to the poor. The supplies usually are dated from one to six months or longer. We do not send out-of-date medicines.
Now that our organization has been approved, what’s the next step?
Before each trip, we need a completed Mission Trip Registration Form to give us accurate information to set up a trip for you.
You can find and submit the on-line form at:
How can we estimate how much to request?
It depends on how many people are going on your trip, and how much can each person carry. If any items are left over at the end of your trip, they may be given to the medical professionals in the country of your mission trip.
How will we know if you can supply for our upcoming trip?
We will email you informing you of your trip approval. Each trip is approved separately.
How do we order?
When your trip is approved, we will email you an information sheet about how and when to order online. Our electronic ordering system assigns you a window of time to order and sets the trip identification number and password for your trip.
What about shipping charges?
There will be a $25 processing fee for orders from the Donated Catalog, per trip request, and a shipping & handling fee based on the weight of the total shipment. Mission teams interested in receiving container shipments must call for the fee schedule applied to that type of order.
When can we expect to receive our supplies?
Our goal is to have the supplies reach you about one week before your trip. If you are going to repack, please tell us the date of your “packing party” so that we can ship in time for that event. Our shipping time depends on your Advising Physician’s signed approval and your promptness in submitting your order to us.
What should we do if we have to cancel or postpone our trip?
If your trip is cancelled or postponed, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can avoid packing and shipping needlessly. If we have already shipped and your trip is postponed, please return the supplies to us. The dating on the medicines may expire before your next trip date.
How can we check the status of our shipment?
Team members should call their team leader for information. The team leader can call or e-mail us. We will be glad to provide a status report. We access trip information with the Trip ID number or the name of the team leader. Please have this information ready when you call.
We urge you to get in touch with us if you do not receive a trip approval letter within one week of sending your Mission Trip Registration Form. When you send in a request, we email a form to your Advising Physician for her/his signed approval. If you don’t hear from us within one week there is a holdup with your Advising Physician and you need to contact her/him to get the form signed. Sometimes the email goes to a Spam or Junk folder and the Advising Physician may need to check these folders.
How can we check for lost emails from Kingsway?
- Check your spam folder.
- Check your trash folder.
- Check any email rules you have that might be forwarding email to another folder.
- Use your email program’s search function to search for Kingsway’s email. Search for your trip number.
How soon can we get a manifest? Do we receive any other paperwork?
After we fill and ship your order, we e-mail to the Team Leader a “Confirmation of Shipment” which includes:
- A “Certificate of Donation” for the country of your mission.
- An invoice listing of the items included in your order.
Is there any follow-up we need to complete after our trip?
Yes, we need a “Report of Mission Trip” form to be completed after you return from your trip. Scroll down to the “Fill Out Your Trip Report” section on the Kingsway Charities home page and click “Start Now” and login with your trip number and password to complete this form. This “feedback” form is extremely important to us. We use it as a report to encourage our staff and volunteers and as a tool to help us improve our service. We welcome your comments and suggestions, and we would love to see pictures of the medicine clearly distributed to patients.
If we have questions, who can we talk to?
For forms and procedures help with starting the process or general questions:
Call MaryBeth Blessing at 276-466-3014 or use the contact form below and select Forms and Procedures Questions.
Shipping and warehouse questions?
Call Albert Hester at 276-466-3014 or use the contact form below and select Shipping Questions.